Cisco Headend System Release 2.5 User Guide

78-738186-01 Rev B 

signonCount Utility 

2-1 

When DHCTs download new software for the operating system and resident 

application, they lose the contents of their volatile memory. After the download, 

DHCTs sign back on to the network and their network configuration data is 

reloaded. The signonCount utility is useful in monitoring the rate at which DHCTs 

sign on to the network. 
Because some DHCTs make repeated attempts to sign on to the network before they 

are successful, too many sign-on attempts by DHCTs contribute to network 

congestion. The signonCount utility can help system operators quickly identify those 

DHCTs that are having trouble signing on, and the utility can then be used to 

facilitate the DHCT sign-on process. 

The signonCount utility enables system operators and Cisco engineers to monitor 

the rate at which DHCTs sign on to the network. This monitoring is required in the 

following circumstances: 
• 

When DHCTs download new software—DHCTs lose the contents of their volatile 

memory when the DHCT downloads new software for the operating system and 

resident application. DHCTs reconnect to the network after the download, and the 

memory that contained information about the DHCT network connection  

(IP address, transmit timing and level) is re-loaded. For systems that are forced to 

rapidly load DHCT software, the signonCount utility is useful in determining 

when to trigger the next group of DHCTs to load code.  

• 

When the QPSK modulator and demodulator software is upgraded—In this case, 

the signonCount utility is used in the following two situations:  
− 

The first situation is to determine if the system is healthy enough to be 

upgraded. If it is not, the signonCount utility also provides a secondary mode of 

operation that can dramatically improve the health of the system prior to 

moving forward with the upgrade.  

− 

The second situation is to use the signonCount utility to provide more 

meaningful guidance regarding when you can move forward with upgrading 

the next QPSK modulator. Previous upgrade guides instructed you either to 

wait a little while between upgrading units or to monitor the log file, but they 

offered no real tools to help in this effort.